Andrea J. Romero's sincere concern for the welfare of others is well known among her colleagues and those she helps.
"She's very invested in our community," said one of Romero's nominators, Gloria Hamelitz, director of the John Valenzuela Youth Center.
"It's not about a research paper or if she can get published. It's about helping our kids succeed."
Romero, this year's 40 Under 40 Woman of the Year, is a University of Arizona Fitch Nesbitt Associate Professor with joint appointments to Family Studies and Human Development and Mexican American and Raza Studies.
And that's not all.
Romero also has affiliated positions in the psychology and public health departments as well as Latin American and women's studies.
"She's also a genuinely nice and kind person, which is always a good thing," said Stephen Russell, director of the Frances McClelland Institute for Children, Youth and Families. Russell, a fellow professor of Family Studies and Human Development at the University of Arizona, also nominated Romero.
Romero, 39, received her doctorate in social psychology from the University of Houston in 1997, and then worked at Stanford University in its Center for Research and Disease Prevention. Romero focused on the prevention of obesity and substance use among minority children.
For the last 10 years, she has been working with the South Tucson Prevention Coalition to address underage drinking and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. She has received federal grants to research prevention programs for substance use and HIV prevention for middle-school students.
Several grants have helped the South Tucson community, Hamelitz said.
The prevention of substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, diabetes and obesity have been among her primary focuses.
"One thing that I really like is that she doesn't use scare tactics," Hamelitz said. "She teaches (young people) to be empowered and to make powerful decisions for themselves."
Romero has invited youths to attend UA concerts and lectures in order to expose them to the world of higher education.
"She motivates them to want to go to college," Hamelitz said.
Russell said Romero has taken on several leadership roles on campus, and is a "go-to person."
"She's managed to do all of that, and be an important scholar as well," he said. "She's such an important person here in town and on campus."
